According to a recent article in the Guardian, a new study published by the United Nations Environment
Programme strongly suggests that wealthy consumers of the industrialized world
should eat half as much meat--or even less
than half--as they currently do.

The horse-meat scandal that swept across Europe
has exposed our unrelenting quest for ever-cheaper meat, fueling the trade in
"undocumented livestock and mislabeled cheap ready meals," as well as the huge proliferation
of factory farms over the last couple of decades.

This growing demand for meat has in turn had devastating
consequences for the environment, damaging the health of entire ecosystems and
creating massive dead zones in the oceans. Current meat production utilizes 80%
of all nitrogen and phosphorus used in farming, as well as many pesticides and
herbicides, which wind up polluting our soil, waterways, and the air we breathe.
Scientists warn: "Unless action is taken, increases in pollution and per capita
consumption of energy and animal products will exacerbate nutrient losses,
pollution levels and land degradation, further threatening the quality of our
water, air and soils, affecting climate and biodiversity."

Beyond the environmental devastation caused by industrial farming,
and the negative effects of meat consumption on human health, farmed animals
suffer tremendous abuse in today's modern confinement systems. Whether it be a
life of misery in a battery cage, gestation crate, or veal crate, the real cost
of cheap meat is egregious animal cruelty.

For great recipes and tips on transitioning to a healthy and
humane plant-based diet, visit ChooseVeg.ca . The earth, the animals, and your
health will thank you for it.